Israel launches targeted raids vs. Hezbollah in Lebanon

Israeli ground forces overnight crossed into Lebanon for the first time in decades in what military officials said were “limited and targeted raids” against Hezbollah terrorists plotting to stage an Oct. 7-style attack against communities in northern Israel.

Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters transformed Lebanese villages along the border into military bases to prepare for an incursion they called “Conquer the Galilee,” officials with the Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday.

“Hezbollah planned to invade Israel, attack Israeli communities, and massacre innocent men, women and children,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the IDF spokesman, said in a statement. 

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin late Monday spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, about the IDF operation. Mr. Austin agreed that dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure on the border was necessary to prevent it from staging a ground attack against Israeli communities.

“I made it clear that the United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself,” Mr. Austin said in a statement. 

Mr. Austin also continued pushing for a diplomatic resolution to the fighting so civilians along both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border could return safely to their homes. He told Mr. Gallant that the U.S. is “well postured” to defend its personnel, allies and partners in the face of threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organizations. 

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“I reiterated the serious consequences for Iran in the event Iran chooses to launch a direct military attack against Israel,” Mr. Austin said.

IDF officials said their fight is with Hezbollah, not the people of Lebanon, and are “taking measures” to prevent harm to civilians.

For decades, the United Nations has called on Lebanon to make sure its territory is free of armed groups that aren’t part of the country’s military, most recently in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which was agreed to by Lebanon and Israel in 2006.

But Adm. Hagari said the border region is “swarming” with Hezbollah fighters and called them the “world’s largest nonstate army.”

“If the state of Lebanon and the world can’t push Hezbollah away from our border, we have no choice but to do it ourselves,” he said. “We will not let the 7th of October happen again on any of our borders.”